Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (“CFRP”) materials are increasingly being used in place of metals to form the skin panels and primary structural members of many structures, including aerospace structures. CFRP materials are advantageous compared to metals due to the higher strength-to-weight ratios provided by these materials. However, CFRP materials are much less conductive than metallic materials, and as a result require special consideration with respect to handling electric current. In a spacecraft or other aerospace structure, one way of returning D.C. current from the unit to the battery ground is through the wire harness. Alternatively, in structures composed of conductive metallic panels such as aluminum alloy, the current may be returned through the structure itself to eliminate the return harness. The fibers in CFRP are somewhat conductive, but not nearly as conductive as aluminum. Due to the intrinsic resistance of composite materials as compared to aluminum, structures composed almost entirely of composite materials are not suitable for returning current through the structure. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and structure that provides for power return in a structure composed almost entirely of composite materials that avoids the need for a separate wire harness.